The Little Sisters of the Poor are asking the nation’s highest court to ensure they do not have to comply with Obamacare’s abortion mandate. The mandate compels religious groups to pay for birth control and drugs that may cause abortions. Without relief, the Little Sisters would face millions of dollars in IRS fines because they cannot comply with the government’s mandate that they give their employees free access to contraception, sterilization, and abortion-inducing drugs.

Speaker Paul Ryan is supporting them as well — giving their case media attention by inviting them to attend the State of the Union with him.

“The Little Sisters of the Poor care for the most vulnerable among us, and they should be free to practice their faith without the threat of government interference or intimidation,” Speaker Ryan said. “The Sisters’ stand in defense of religious liberty – one of our most fundamental rights – is nothing short of courageous, and it’s my privilege to support their cause.”

Sister Loraine Marie Maguire, the organization’s Mother Provincial, and Sister Constance Veit will represent the Little Sisters of the Poor in the Speaker’s box.

“All we ask is that our rights not be taken away,” Sister Loraine said in a recent release. “The government exempts large corporations, small businesses, and other religious ministries from what they are imposing on us – we just want to keep serving the elderly poor as we have always done for 175 years.”

“For us, this has nothing to do with politics,” Sister Constance said in an interview. “We just want to take care of the elderly poor without being forced to violate the faith that animates our work.”

The Little Sisters of the Poor are an order of Catholic nuns who have been serving the elderly poor since their founding over 175 years ago. The Sisters have asked the Supreme Court for protection from the Affordable Care Act’s HHS mandate through which the government is forcing them to change their healthcare plans to offer drugs that violate their religious beliefs and threatening them with $70 million in fines per year. The Court will likely hear their case in March. Pope Francis highlighted the organization’s work with a surprise visit to their residence in Washington last September.